DETAILED ACTION
Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Priority
Receipt is acknowledged of certified copies of papers required by 37 CFR 1.55.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of the appropriate paragraphs of 35 U.S.C. 102 that form the basis for the rejections under this section made in this Office action:
A person shall be entitled to a patent unless –
(a)(1) the claimed invention was patented, described in a printed publication, or in public use, on sale, or otherwise available to the public before the effective filing date of the claimed invention.
Claim(s) 1, 2 and 4 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koori et al (JP 2021087296 A).
Regarding claim 1, Koori et al (see the entire document, in particular, paragraphs [0010], [0019], [0021], [0022], [0024], [0038], [0040] – [0045], [0050], [0060] and [0066] of the translation; Figures 3, 5-7 and 11) teaches an apparatus (see Figure 5, paragraph [0010] (rotor core manufacturing system) of Koori et al), including (a) a mold that holds a motor core, the motor core including a resin filling portion (see Figures 3, 6, 7 and 11; paragraphs [0021] (jig 20 (i.e., part of mold)), [0040] mold portion 120), paragraph [0066] (gap C (i.e., resin filling portion)) and [0060] (Figures 6 and 7 show a space (i.e., gap C, resin filling portion) in magnet housing portion 10, while Figure 3 shows resin material 6 in gap C in magnet housing portion 10) of Koori et al); (b) a chamber that communicates with a resin composition filling path, wherein the resin composition filling path is formed in the mold and one end portion of the resin composition filling path communicates with the resin filling portion (see Figures 6 and 7, paragraphs [0044] (cylindrical portion 116 a (i.e., chamber), flow path 115a) and [0050] (flow path 121) of Koori et al); (c) a plunger that conveys a resin composition conveyed to the chamber toward the resin composition filling path (see Figures 6 and 7, paragraph [0045] (piston portion 116b) of Koori et al); (d) a first heater that is disposed in the mold, or in the mold and around the chamber (see Figure 5, paragraphs [0024] (induction-heating coil (not shown) of preheating device 102) and [0038] (curing heating device 104) of Koori et al); and (e) an extruding machine that conveys the resin composition, while kneading the resin composition, toward the chamber in order to put a previously measured amount of the resin composition into the chamber (see Figures 6 and 7, [0041] (plasticizing cylinder 110) of Koori et al).
Regarding claim 2, see Figures 6 and 7, paragraphs [0041] (plasticizing cylinder 111) and [0042] (heating device 113) of Koori et al.
Regarding claim 4, see Figures 6 and 7, paragraph [0043] (screw 114) of Koori et al.
Claim(s) 6-9 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(1) as being anticipated by Koori et al (JP 2021087296 A).
Regarding claim 6, Koori et al (see the entire document, in particular, paragraphs [0001], [0019], [0021], [0035], [0036], [0038], [0040] – [0042], [0044], [0045], [0050] and [0066] of the translation; Figures 3, 5-7 and 11) teaches a process (see paragraph [0001] (method of manufacturing a rotor core) of Koori et al), including (a) measuring a filling amount of a resin composition that is filled into a resin filling portion of a motor core (see Figures 6, 7 and 11, paragraphs [0058] (melting plastic material in plasticizing cylinder 111), [0066] (gap C (i.e., resin filling portion)) and [0060] (Figures 6 and 7 show a space (i.e., gap C, resin filling portion) in magnet housing portion 10, while Figure 3 shows resin material 6 in gap C in magnet housing portion 10) of Koori et al); (b) holding the motor core in a mold in which a resin composition filling path is formed, such that the resin composition filling path and the resin filling portion communicate with each other (see Figures 3, 6 and 7, paragraphs [0021] (jig, (i.e., part of mold)), [0040] (mold portion 120), [0044] (flow path 115a) and [0050] (flow path 121; flow paths 115a and 121 are resin composition filling path) of Koori et al); (c) conveying the measured filling amount of the resin composition toward a chamber that communicates with the resin composition filling path, by using an extruding machine capable of conveying the resin composition (see Figures 6 and 7, paragraphs [0044] (cylindrical portion 116a (i.e., chamber)) and [0041] (plasticizing unit 110) of Koori et al); (d) operating a plunger movable in the chamber to fill the resin filling portion with resin composition softened in the chamber (see Figures 6 and 7, paragraph [0045] (piston portion 116b) of Koori et al); and (e) hardening the softened resin composition filled into the resin filling portion (see Figure 5, paragraph [0038] (curing heating device 104) of Koori et al).
Regarding claim 7, see Figures 3 and 5, paragraphs [0019] (rotor core 4, magnet housing portions 10 (i.e., slot portions)) and [0035] (arrange (insert) permanent magnets 5 in magnet housing portions 10 (i.e., slot portions)) of Koori et al.
Regarding claim 8, see Figures 6 and 7, paragraphs [0041] (plasticizing cylinder 111) and [0042] (heating device 113) of Koori et al.
Regarding claim 9, see Figure 5, paragraph [0036] (preheating device 102) of Koori et al.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
This application currently names joint inventors. In considering patentability of the claims the examiner presumes that the subject matter of the various claims was commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the claimed invention(s) absent any evidence to the contrary. Applicant is advised of the obligation under 37 CFR 1.56 to point out the inventor and effective filing dates of each claim that was not commonly owned as of the effective filing date of the later invention in order for the examiner to consider the applicability of 35 U.S.C. 102(b)(2)(C) for any potential 35 U.S.C. 102(a)(2) prior art against the later invention.
Claim(s) 3 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koori et al (JP 2021087296 A).
Regarding claim 3, Koori et al (see the entire document, in particular, paragraphs [0010], [0019], [0021], [0022], [0024], [0038], [0040] – [0045], [0050], [0060] and [0066] of the translation; Figures 3, 5-7 and 11) teaches an apparatus (see Figure 5, paragraph [0010] (rotor core manufacturing system) of Koori et al), including a second heater (see paragraph [0042] (heating device 113) of Koori et al), but does not teach (1) a temperature range of from 70 to 100°C in the conveyance path. However, this temperature range would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date in the claimed invention in the apparatus of Koori et al because both Koori et al and the claimed invention are in the same field of endeavor (i.e., apparatus for manufacturing a motor core) and one of ordinary skill in the art is familiar with the types of resin used in the manufacture of a motor core (including properties of the resins such as temperatures used for processing).
Claim(s) 5 is/are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Koori et al (JP 2021087296 A) as applied to claims 1, 2 and 4 above, and further in view of Kirsch et al (U.S. Patent Application Publication 2020/0164556 A1).
Regarding claim 5, Koori et al teaches a mold having an upper mold and a lower mold (see Figure 3, paragraph [0022] (upper plate 21, lower plate 24) of Koori et al), but does not teach (1) a lower mold having a plurality of stages on which a resin composition filing path is formed and a transfer unit that disposes one of the plurality of stages at a position facing an upper mold. Kirsch et al (see the entire document, in particular, paragraphs [0002], [0004], [0007], [0010] and [0032]; Figure 1) teaches an apparatus (see paragraph [0002] (injection mold for encapsulating rotors of electrical machines) of Kirsch et al), including a lower mold having a plurality of stages on which a resin composition filing path is formed and a transfer unit that disposes one of the plurality of stages at a position facing an upper mold (see Figure 1, paragraphs [0007] (exchange unit has at least one rotary element (e.g., turntable) designed to move at least one mold segment), [0010] (rotary element is configured to hold or grip differently dimensioned mold elements) and [0032] (rotary elements 20) of Kirsch et al), and it would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to include a lower mold having a plurality of stages on which a resin composition filing path is formed and a transfer unit that disposes one of the plurality of stages at a position facing an upper mold in the apparatus of Koori et al in view of Kirsch et al in order to provide an injection mold for producing encapsulated parts in a cost-effective and flexible manner (see paragraph [0004] of Kirsch et al).
Conclusion
Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to LEO B. TENTONI whose telephone number is (571)272-1209. The examiner can normally be reached 7:30-4:00 ET M-F.
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If attempts to reach the examiner by telephone are unsuccessful, the examiner’s supervisor, Christina A. Johnson can be reached at (571)272-1176. The fax phone number for the organization where this application or proceeding is assigned is 571-273-8300.
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LEO B. TENTONI
Primary Examiner
Art Unit 1742
/LEO B TENTONI/Primary Examiner, Art Unit 1742